NEW YORK—Victor Oladipo knows the Indiana Hoosiers are the top-ranked team in the nation, and he's not about to pretend otherwise. He is not about to pretend that such a position does not come with extra scrutiny and expectations. Instead, he embraces the challenge, and takes it as motivation to live up to being No. 1.

Oladipo scored 12 points on Tuesday night, one of five Indiana players in double figures as the Hoosiers got what they came to Brooklyn to get: a stiff test and a championship in the Legends Classic. After letting an eight-point lead slip away in the second half, Indiana pulled away from Georgetown in overtime to score an 82-72 victory.

"I feel like we showed that we can grind out a win," Oladipo said. "It shows that we're fully capable of winning grind-out, tough games. I hope we can continue to keep doing that down the road, because there are going to be a lot of those. We're going to get everybody's best shot. We've got a target on our back."

That target is all the bigger for Cody Zeller, the Big Ten's preseason Player of the Year, who had 17 points with eight rebounds against the Hoyas. But the Hoosiers are far from being a one-man show. Jordan Hulls also scored 17 points on Tuesday, and was named tournament MVP. Christian Watford had the game's only double-double, with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Kevin (Yogi) Ferrell scored 14 points, including the 3-pointer in overtime that iced the game, after his missed free throws in the final minute of regulation were a big part of the reason Georgetown was able to extend the game.

When it got to overtime, Georgetown went 0-for-7 from the floor, unable to come up with any more answers for Indiana's defense. In the second half, the Hoosiers had held the Hoyas without a point for more than five minutes, but could not put the game away because Georgetown's defense, as usual for a John Thompson III-coached team, was equally tough.

"I think we're just getting started, to be honest with you," Indiana coach Tom Crean said. "We've got a lot of guys that are being asked to do a lot of things ... right now, they're really trying to do a good job of keeping their man in front, doing the things that are needed defensively, so we can get some easy baskets. The easier baskets we get, gets that (offensive) balance where it needs to be."

Balance is what makes the Hoosiers a daunting opponent. Crean knew that his team could not match Georgetown for size, so he centered his game plan around speed. That meant not only running up and down the floor, but also crisp passing, which was evident early when Ferrell drove along the baseline and whipped a pass to an oncoming Oladipo, who went up for a thunderous dunk. Indiana's crisp ball movement and variety of scoring threats combine to create problems for just about anyone it faces—and that's before you even talk about the defense.

"You have to give them credit," Thompson said. "They're a good defensive team, they're a good offensive team, and they play well together."

That is why, even though Zeller is the player who generates the most buzz at Indiana, it was not a surprise to see Hulls named tournament MVP. The senior guard, who scored 14 points in the Legends Classic opener against Georgia, scored five of his 17 on Tuesday in overtime, and had four steals on the night.

"It's pretty cool," Hulls said. "But I wouldn't have gotten it without my teammates, obviously. They helped me get open shots. Yogi's been finding me all year, and Cody draws all the attention, and that sets up things for me. It's a great honor, but I was more excited about the win."

If the Hoosiers maintain their balanced approach, there will be a lot more of both in their future. They are No. 1 for a reason, but also know that an in-season tournament victory is not the ultimate goal.

"There is not one area that I could look at and say we were dominant in that area, but we kept getting better," Crean said. "There is a lot of room for improvement and I think I would be nervous if it was in November and there wasn't. But our guys went and played a high-level team in a high-level way and I am proud of everybody."